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Suzanne Ryan-Ibarra, PhD, MPH

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Suzanne Ryan-Ibarra, PhD, MPH, is a Principal Investigator and Senior Research Scientist at the Public Health Institute. She has more than 10 years of experience in public health, particularly in obesity prevention, program evaluation, population health, and epidemiology. Her expertise includes study design, data collection, and data analysis for qualitative and quantitative methods. Dr. Ryan-Ibarra currently provides scientific oversight and statistical expertise for the Center for Wellness and Nutrition; the Population Health Innovations Lab; and the Survey Research Group. She is currently a Co-Investigator for multiple research and evaluation projects based throughout the nation that focus on evaluating the economic and health impacts of community-based obesity prevention interventions, including SNAP-Ed programs. In addition, she is currently a Co-Investigator on a multi-year evaluation of the California Accountable Communities for Health Accelera tor Sites initiative, and a Co-Investigator on a multi-year study to examine the impact of the Berkeley, CA sugar-sweetened beverage tax on population nutrition and retail behavior.

Dr. Ryan-Ibarra is especially interested in program evaluation and research on obesity, nutrition, and physical activity which will inform public health programs and policies. Before working as a researcher, she led public health interventions with the US Peace Corps in Ecuador and the Alameda County Community Food Bank in California. Dr. Ryan-Ibarra received her Doctorate in Epidemiology from the University of California, Davis, and her Master of Public Health degree in Community Health Education from San Francisco State University. Her dissertation measured the impact of public policies on sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and purchases in California.